Chapter 38: A Diverted Plot and a Shrewd Plan

When she learned that Qin Yangjun had arrived, Ling Hu’er was quite pleased.

She was glad the Yuqian Sect had shown them due regard, not merely dispatching some lowly minion to appease them.

Moreover, with Qin Yangjun’s presence, she sensed an opportunity to reclaim her honor and wash away her past humiliation.

Yet, who would have anticipated that Qin Yangjun, having grown remarkably cunning, would instead turn the tables and thoroughly outmaneuver her?

However, since he had already apologized, Ling Hu’er found it difficult to lash out further.

The main issue, though, was that after such a long delay, no one was keeping an eye on the Beast King.

If the Beast King truly escaped, mission failure would be a minor concern; the real disaster would be the immense loss of face.

Having briefly grasped the situation, the group pressed on through the night towards the location of the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed.

This was a jungle teeming with ferocious beasts, situated near Luohe Town, and by the time the group arrived, dawn was already breaking.

However, upon reaching their destination, there was no trace of the Beast King; the tracking runes they had placed on it had been discovered and torn off by the creature.

Now, the Beast King’s whereabouts were completely unknown.

Ling Hu’er, standing nearby, was on the verge of tears, but this turn of events was entirely within Qin Yangjun’s expectations.

For this was precisely the plotline from the original novel.

Back then, the person brought along was Yu Lingyue, who possessed the ability to perceive all things, and it was through her that the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed’s trail was easily followed.

Now, however, the plot had diverged: it wasn’t Yu Lingyue who came, but Yueyao. While Yueyao’s strength surpassed Yu Lingyue’s, she lacked Yu Lingyue’s unique perceptive abilities.

With this thought, Qin Yangjun glanced at Yueyao, a confident smile gracing his lips.

“It’s a good thing it’s you who came.”

Yueyao: ?

She couldn’t fathom why her Senior Brother would suddenly smile at her; did it hold some deeper meaning?

Qin Yangjun’s delight stemmed from a new idea that had sparked within him.

‘He was, after all, a cheat-code player, one who had read the script; even without Yu Lingyue, he knew precisely where the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed currently was.’

‘This Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed was a Beast King, possessing limitless potential; if he could subdue it, wouldn’t he gain another powerful ally in the future?’

‘The biggest problem, however, was that Ling Hu’er and her companions would certainly never allow him to do such a thing, as this Beast King was both a prized possession of their Beast King Valley and the objective of their current mission.’

‘Therefore, he needed to devise a method to either send them away or separate himself from their group.’

‘He would seek out the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed on his own, then feign an accidental taming, thereby presenting them with a fait accompli (TL Note: a Chinese idiom, ‘shēngmǐ zhǔ chéngshú fàn,’ meaning to make a done deal or accomplish something irreversibly).’

‘By then, even if they were upset, there would be nothing they could do; a Beast King only recognizes one master in its lifetime, and a Beast King that had already acknowledged a master would be useless to take back.’

‘Finally, he would offer some compensation to smooth things over, allowing them to report back to their sect.’

‘Perhaps he would be treating them unfairly, but he would simply consider it a favor he owed them, to be repaid when the opportunity arose.’

‘Yes, that’s what I’ll do!’

Without hesitation, Qin Yangjun cemented his decision.

“Everyone, judging by the dissipation of spiritual energy from this tracking rune, it must have been torn off quite recently. Perhaps we should split up and search.”

“Split up? Are you certain?”

Ling Hu’er stared at Qin Yangjun, utterly astonished.

The few disciples from Beast King Valley exchanged bewildered glances; they had sought assistance precisely because they couldn’t defeat the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed alone. Dividing their strength now would render their plea for help meaningless, wouldn’t it?

At this moment, Yueyao, standing nearby, suddenly spoke up:

“I agree with Senior Brother. Without the tracking runes, we have no idea where it might have gone. The best approach is for us to search separately. Once someone finds the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed, they can send a signal, and we’ll regroup to deal with it, while the worst-case scenario, I need not elaborate; I believe everyone understands.”

“Junior Sister is absolutely right. Without further ado, let’s act now. I’ll take Miss Ling and head south. Junior Sister, you lead these other junior sisters north. If you find it, send a signal. If not, we’ll reconvene here in two hours.”

Having spoken, Qin Yangjun immediately turned and dashed south, as if fearing that any other suggestion might derail his carefully laid plans.

Ling Hu’er stood frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief.

‘I hadn’t even said anything, and you’ve already decided?’

‘They clearly have no regard for me!’

“Wait! Why should we listen to you?”

“Then, does Miss Ling have a better solution?”

Yueyao’s clear eyes fixed on Ling Hu’er; in her estimation, Qin Yangjun’s proposal was the most effective course of action for the current situation.

“I…”

Ling Hu’er was momentarily struck dumb, for she truly had no superior alternative.

A fierce indignation, however, still simmered within her.

She then looked at her junior sisters, but they all turned their heads away, avoiding her gaze, seemingly without any superior ideas themselves.

‘Useless lot, can’t rely on any of you when it matters most. I’ve wasted my efforts on you all, letting them lead you by the nose!’

Ling Hu’er’s thoughts were steeped in bitter resentment.

“Fine! We’ll do as you say! But…”

“Miss Ling, if you waste any more time talking, you won’t catch up to our Senior Brother.”

Yueyao gazed impassively in the direction where Qin Yangjun had vanished.

“You… I… he… Ugh! Confound it! Wait for me!!!”

Ling Hu’er stomped her foot in frustration, then channeled her spiritual energy and sped off in Qin Yangjun’s direction.

“Well then, everyone, let us also begin our search.”

“Alright!”

Thus, the group split into two paths and commenced their search.

Meanwhile, Qin Yangjun, on his southward sprint, pushed himself even harder, believing that once he shook off Ling Hu’er, his plan would be set in motion.

However, Qin Yangjun had truly underestimated Ling Hu’er’s capabilities; despite his “head start,” she caught up to him in less than a quarter of an hour.

Since he had been caught, he would have to resort to his second plan.

“Hold on a moment!”

Qin Yangjun, who had been sprinting ahead, abruptly halted, catching Ling Hu’er completely off guard.

She slammed on the brakes, her feet carving a long furrow in the ground, but she had applied too much force and plunged directly into a thicket of bushes.

When she emerged from the bushes, her Tiger-head hat was askew, leaves clung to her hair, and a cluster of burrs covered her clothes.

Ling Hu’er immediately erupted in fury.

“Are you insane?! You just run off, then stop on a whim, playing games with me?”

“Uh, apologies, apologies. It’s just that I suddenly recalled something extremely urgent.”

“Urgent? How urgent could it be?”

Ling Hu’er vibrated her spiritual energy to shake off the debris from her clothes, then crossed her arms, fixing Qin Yangjun with a stern gaze.

‘What could possibly be more urgent than their pursuit of the Beast King?’

“Earlier, I happened to overhear a piece of news from my sister: a group of demonic cultivators is active in Luohe Town. Apparently, their leader is the legendary Elder Xue (TL Note: ‘Xue Laoren’ literally means ‘Blood Old Man’), Wei Fu. Wei Fu is a Void Manifestation Realm cultivator. If Yueyao and her group encounter them, they’ll be in grave danger.”

Ling Hu’er’s brow furrowed; she had indeed heard of that name before.

“Wei Fu, he’s from the Myriad Dharma Heavenly Sect, isn’t he? But wasn’t the Myriad Dharma Heavenly Sect destroyed by your sister already? You were the one who provided the information, after all.”

“Uh… he… he’s a remnant. He wasn’t there when my sister annihilated the Myriad Dharma Heavenly Sect.”

“Then, since you already know his location, why haven’t you sent people to deal with him?”

“Because… it was news I received just as I was leaving. I presume the sect is mobilizing forces as well.”

At this moment, although Qin Yangjun appeared calm and composed on the surface, his heart was a maelstrom of cold dread.

‘Please stop asking, or I’ll give myself away!’

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